Secrets
by S.Humphries
Summary: We would never admit them under the harsh light of day. We bury them. We put them out of sight, out of mind. But the thing about secrets is that usually, they don't stay buried forever…
1. Ruby Blue

_Secrets. We would never admit them under the harsh light of day. We bury them. We put them out of sight, out of mind. But the thing about secrets is that usually, they don't stay buried forever…_

Meredith Grey had a secret. She buried it deep into the recesses of her mind. It was painful, even twenty years later, to think about. This particular secret was so big, that if the truth ever came, the consequences could be devastating. She didn't have many secrets anymore, after all her life history was water cooler conversation. She was the slutty-intern-turned-wife of Derek Shepherd, Chief of Neurosurgery at the hospital they owned. Even she had to admit, she had a very complicated life… which was about to get a lot more complicated.

Anna had never been more nervous in her life. She checked her coat pocket and pulled out the thin folded piece of paper. She'd read the name a _million times_ in black and white. But acting on the information in her hands was a completely different story. She pulled her blonde hair up into a ponytail and headed for reception area of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. "Hi, I'm looking for Meredith Grey," she said to a very bored looking receptionist. The woman snapped her head at the guest, "Is she expecting you?" she asked studying Anna. That's a loaded question, Anna thought, as she nervously wrung her wrists. "No, but it's important."

The receptionist made a face, "Honey, it's always _important_. She's a surgeon."

"Oh," Anna said taking in this tiny tidbit of information. She knew Meredith Grey was a doctor and that she was the owner of this hospital. A simple internet search, had give her that much. "Uh, can you page her or something?" She asked tentatively.

"I'm only supposed to page her unless it's an emergency," the receptionist spat, twirling in her seat.

"It is," Anna pressed, "I'm, uh, her daughter." The receptionist looked at Anna in complete shock. Apparently, this didn't happen everyday, Anna thought fidgeting. "Well," she said picking up the phone, "That's a good reason to me." Anna nodded in response and took a seat in the lobby. She could do this, she thought, taking a breath.

"Kelly," Meredith seethed over to reception, "You only page me if it's an emergency."

"Believe me Dr. Grey," Kelly said gesturing toward a young pretty blonde waiting in the lobby, "You'll be glad I paged you."

Meredith sighed and walked toward the stranger. There was something familiar about her, Meredith thought, as she got closer. Meredith could tell, just by looking at her, that she couldn't have been older than twenty. The young woman was thin, almost waif like, and had her hair in a messy ponytail. She was dressed in a simple t-shirt, jeans, and converse. Meredith had a gut feeling that she _knew_ this girl. But for the life of her, couldn't place her.

"Hi," she greeted standing in front of the girl who was nervously looking down at her hands, "I'm Dr. Grey." The young girl looked up at Meredith and she felt her heart stop. It couldn't be… "Oh my god," she exclaimed making eye contact with the stranger in front of her. She stared into her deep blue eyes and couldn't form a coherent thought, never mind a sentence. "So you recognize me," the girl said smiling as Meredith remembered to breathe. "It's like looking in a mirror," she confessed uneasily. God, her eyes, Meredith thought, not taking her gaze away were the same ones she saw everyday in her own reflection. "We should talk," Meredith said shakily, "I mean I'm sure you have questions and you came all the way out here."

"I actually live in Seattle," Ana said, "But that would be nice."

"Okay…" she said staring at her, "I don't… know your name."

"I didn't give it to you, I'm Anna Howard." Anna stood up and followed Meredith to the elevators.

"I'm Meredith," she said as they walked toward the elevators, "But uh, you already knew that," she stammered hitting the button. "My husband, Derek, is in surgery," Meredith said as the door opened, "We can talk in his office."

"Okay," Anna said watching her push the button for the fifth floor. Anna looked down at her thin fingers and noticed that Meredith had the same ones. "He's the head of neurosurgery," Meredith babbled filling in the silence. "I'm a general surgeon. Ironically, my mother was too."

"Must be why I want to be a doctor," Anna smiled at Meredith, "I'm a pre-med major at Wash U."

"Wow," Meredith said fiddling with her wedding ring, "I mean that's great. Like, really really, great."

Anna grinned at Meredith's approval, "I'm a sophomore," she continued, "I got a full scholarship and couldn't pass it up."

"Definitely a smart idea," Meredith said easily, "med school isn't exactly cheap."

"I bet," Anna said as they got off the elevator, "Where did you go?"

"I went to Dartmouth, for both undergrad and med school," Meredith answered leading Anna toward Derek's office. She stopped in front of his door and swiped her ID card. She opened the door, "This is Derek's office," she said surveying the mess, "He's usually neater," she muttered cleaning off the papers from his couch, making a space for Anna.

Anna looked around and noticed the degrees hanging on the walls and family pictures on his desk. Anna couldn't help but stare at one particular picture. Meredith noticed where her gaze was and picked up the silver fame, "This was when my son, Bailey was born. My best friend, Cristina snapped this candid of the four of us." She pointed to Derek, "That's my husband." Her finger trailled down toward her two kids, "Zola and Bailey," she said staring at the picture, "Bailey was only hours old here."

Anna nodded, she had siblings. "Wow," she said as Meredith handed her the picture, "I have a brother and a sister…"

"Zola was adopted from Malawi," Meredith looked at Anna, "She came here with spina bifida and Derek fell in love. The second I saw her… I felt the same." She trailed off at the memory. "I tried to pick good parents for you," she said quietly thinking of the Howards, "But I wanted to keep you," she confessed as the painful memories erupted to the surface."

Anna didn't know what to say so she just listened. "Your father isn't listed on the birth certificate because he didn't know," Meredith continued, "We were drunk," she explained, suddenly feeling like this was too much information. "His name is Jake Anderson," she added nervously wringing her wrist. "I do that too," Anna muttered staring at her birth mother, "The nervous wrist thing," she clarified, "That's my tell."

"Mine too," Meredith said sitting down on Derek's worn couch. "This is a lot," she said looking at Anna. "I mean a ton of information."

Anna sat down next to her. She looked at her Meredith, "I mean it's always scary when you're going to meet your birth mother, right?" she joked trying to lighten the mood. "I get it, Meredith," she said, "I'm a twenty years old," she reminded her. "I can take it."

"Grey's are pretty resilient," Meredith added grinning. "You look exactly like I did when I was your age," Meredith shook her head in disbelief, "I seriously can't believe it."

"Well, you must have been pretty popular," Anna chuckled, "Because I get asked out all the time."

"I hope you tell them no," Meredith said grinning, "Because boys are stupid. Really, really dumb. Ask my husband… He'd agree." Meredith's pager suddenly went off, interrupting the moment. "Crap," she swore, "It's the daycare. I've got to take this…" she said standing up, "But you could come, if you want," she suggested, hoping she would.

"Sure," Anna agreed with a nod.

"Mama!" four-year old Zola cried seeing her mother enter the room, "Bailey won't stop crying," she pouted. "Hi, Dr. Grey," Amanda, one of the aides, greeted holding a very fussy Bailey. "I'm sorry to bother you, but we took his temp and he has a slight fever." Meredith held out her arms and Amanda placed Bailey in them, "Oh, Bay," she said kissing his forehead, "He's definitely warm." She looked at Zola, "Hey, Zo, can you go grab your stuff and Bailey's?" Zola nodded and grinned, "Okay, Mama." Meredith looked at Anna, "Sorry, about this."

Anna shook her head, "I totally understand," Anna said.

Meredith propped Bailey on her hip, "Okay, this is going to sound weird and you can totally say no, but I can put the kids to bed and we can finish our conversation from earlier."

"It's not weird," Anna said assuring her, "I'd love to."

Meredith smiled, "Okay then."

"Mama!" Zola said coming over to her, carrying her backpack and Bailey's bag, "All set," she said seriously. "We go home, now." Zola looked at Anna full of curiosity. "Who are you?" she asked eying the stranger. "Hi," Anna greeted, "I'm Anna, I'm a friend of your mom's." Zola squinted her eyes, in thought, "Mama," she looked at Meredith, "I know all your friends."

Meredith laughed, "Well, Anna's a new one."

"Fine," Zola said handing her mother Bailey's bag. "Hey, Zola," Anna said looking at the toddler's backpack, "Do you like Dora the Explorer?"

Zola's eyes lit up, "I love boots."

"Looks like you made a new friend," Meredith whispered as Zola grabbed Anna's hand and started chattering about her favorite television show.

"When you said you lived in the woods," Anna began surveying the gorgeous house in front of her, "I didn't think you meant a mansion." Meredith put her Mercedes in park and cut the engine, "Derek built it," she explained, "It was his dream house."

"He builds houses too?" Anna exclaimed as she got out of the car, "I mean this house is amazing!"

"Wait until you see the inside," Meredith mused getting Bailey out of the car. "Anna, want to read a story with me?" Zola asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the house, "Sure, Zola," Anna grinned letting Zola take the lead. "Zola!" Meredith called after them, "Careful with Anna!"

Anna turned around, "It's fine," she assured her, "I'm used to toddlers. I used to work at a Daycare in high school," she explained as Meredith opened the door. Zola rushed into the house, "She's quick, huh?" Anna mused laughing.

"You have no idea," Meredith said as Bailey started fussing. "Hey, don't worry, buddy. I'm going to get some tylenol so you feel better," she cooed walking into the house with Anna right behind her.

The house, Anna thought, was even more amazing inside. The view from the bay window was indescribable. "Wow," Anna observed watching the sunset over the lake, "This is breathtaking."

"Best part of the house," Meredith commented studying Anna, "I'll be fifteen minutes, tops," Meredith said, "Bailey looks like he's going to sleep now, and Zola is exhausted too. You can watch tv or whatever," she offered as Bailey put his head on his mother's chest."Not a problem, Meredith," Anna assured her, "I'm pretty good at entertaining myself." Meredith nodded, "Okay, come on Zo," she said, "Time for bed." Zola crossed her arms and glared at her mother, "But Anna said she'd read a story." Meredith looked at Anna, "You don't have to," she said looking at Anna. "No, really, it's fine. I don't break promises to four year olds," Anna said as Zola took her hand, "Alright Zola," she said easily, "Show me where your books are."

After reading, _Stellaluna_, Zola's current favorite, Anna escaped downstairs while Meredith tried to get Bailey to sleep. She headed toward the couch, and sat down. Her brain felt like it was going to explode from everything… Anna was having a hard time processing all of this. Granted, she had no idea what would happen. Meredith could have sent her away and said not to contact her again. But here she was, in her birth mother's dream house with two siblings. Really, it was a lot. Anna took a deep breath, and turned the television on. She needed a distraction from her thoughts, she flipped through the stations and settled on the news.

She was half-paying attention to the reporter who was talking about gas prices, when Meredith came downstairs. "Hey," she greeted startling Anna. "Oh, hi," Anna said turning to face her. "Uh, do you want anything to eat or drink? I don't cook," Meredith added before making a beeline for the fridge, "I burn everything. But I can microwave the shit out of a frozen dinner," she joked sliding open the freezer door. She pulled out a frozen pizza and held it up for Anna, "Want some?" she asked looking at the direction, "It's like the perfect dinner in 10 minutes."

Anna nodded, "Yeah," she said, "thanks, Meredith." Meredith set the box on the counter and opened the fridge, "We have juice, water and... wine," she said surveying the contents of her fridge. "I can't believe I just offered you wine," Meredith babbled nervously. "I'm twenty-one in few weeks, Meredith," Anna chuckled interrupting Meredith, "But you already knew that."

"We have the same birthday," Meredith added, "I've never forgotten it."

"We do?" Anna was shocked, "Yup," Meredith looked at Anna, "Weird right?"

"Definitely, weird," Anna said in total agreement. "What were the odds of that?"

"I don't know," Meredith said preheating the oven. "But small." She uncorked the bottle of wine and poured a glass, "If you're anything like me, you probably need this too," she said walking over to Anna and handing it to her. "It's been a crazy day," she murmured. "Good," she amended, "But crazy."

"Well, how many times have you had your long lost daughter find you at work?" Anna teased taking a sip of wine. "None," Meredith answered pouring herself a glass, "You're the first," she quipped. "But I do have experience with surprised sisters." Anna's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Oh yeah," Meredith exclaimed shutting the oven, "I went from being the only child to an aunt and sister in a matter of hours." She walked over to the couch and took a seat next to Anna. She tucked her legs under her and proceeded to tell her the story of how she met Molly and Lexie Grey.

"Wow," Anna said after Meredith finished, "Lexie sounds like she was an amazing sister." Anna couldn't help but feel sympathy for her birth mother, she had gone through an awful lot. "She was," Meredith said sadly, "I miss her every single day." She looked at Anna, "What about you Anna? I've been rambling a lot about my life, when I don't think I've asked you much about yours."

"My life's been pretty boring," Anna shrugged, "My mom and dad are awesome, though," she added with a shrug. "No siblings?" Meredith asked curiously. "Other than the two I just found out about… No," Anna shook her head. "Bailey looks a lot like you," she added.

"I'm pretty sure, you've got him beat," Meredith said evenly taking a sip of wine. They settled into a comfortable silence, until the oven went off. "I'll go get that," Meredith said getting off the couch as the door opened. "Hey, Mer, sorry I'm running…" He trailed off once he saw Anna on the couch who looked remarkably liked Meredith, "Uh," he said tilting his head, "another surprise sister?" He asked pointedly at Meredith. "Actually," she began, "This is Anna. She's my, uh, daughter."

Derek's eyes widened, "Daughter?" he choked dropping his brief case on the floor.

Anna laughed nervously, "I just met Meredith today, actually."

"How? When? Why? What?" Derek asked rapidly firing off questions. Anna shifted uncomfortably on the couch, "I can go, or something if you need to talk," she said standing up, "This probably isn't something you find out everyday…"

Meredith glared at Derek and turned to Anna, "No, it's alright Anna. Grab some pizza," she gestured to the steaming pizza in front of her, "Derek and I will be right back."

Derek was speechless as he followed her upstairs into their bedroom. "Derek," she said once she closed the door, "What the hell was that?"

"You don't get to be angry, Meredith," he stated crossing his arms, "You have a long lost daughter that you apparently never mentioned in the what _seven years _we've been together?" Derek spat feeling hurt.

Meredith sat down on the bed while Derek waited for an explanation. "I was fourteen, Derek," she said looking up at him. "His name was Jake Anderson. We we're just friends until we broke into my mother's liquor cabinet and well you can guess what happened next," she sighed and continued, "Ellis made me put her up for adoption. It wasn't like I had a choice or say in the matter. She was born on my birthday," she added staring at him.

"That explains the birthday thing," he said with a sigh. "She looks so much like you Mer," he said sitting down next to her with their legs touching, "I should expect the unexpected by now," he grumbled putting his hands through his hair. "How are you dealing?" He asked carefully.

"I'm okay," she smiled, "It's not everyday the kid you had at fifteen comes and finds you."

"No," Derek agreed shaking his head, "Definitely not."

"She seems like a really great kid, actually," she mused, "She's pre-med at Wash U. Obviously, she's educated and happy. I picked good parents, which is a total relief. I worried about that," she admitted. "I would have done a crap job being a mom at fifteen."

Derek didn't say anything as she continued, "After her adoption, I completely isolated myself, dyed my hair pink just to piss of Ellis, and generally stopped caring about everything. I honestly don't know how I managed to get through high school. Let alone college."

"I think you turned out pretty amazing Mer."

"You're only saying that because I sleep with you," Meredith teased, "But thanks," she added smiling, "I should probably go back downstairs. If she's anything like me around pizza," she said laughing, "It'll be almost gone."

Meredith returned from upstairs and found Anna sitting at the kitchen island. She was swinging her feet, like Zola did every morning. She was mid bite, when she turned to face Meredith, "Hi," she said putting the pizza back on her plate, "This is, like really, really good." Meredith walked over to the cabinet and pulled down a plate for herself, "I know," she said putting a slice on it. "I'm sorry about Derek," she apologized sitting next to Anna, "He didn't know," she said simply offering an explanation. "I get it, Meredith," Anna shrugged. "It's fine."

"It's really not fine," Meredith admitted picking at her pizza, "I should have told him."

Anna shrugged, "I'm not the same person I was at fifteen either," she added taking a sip of wine, "I think you should get a pass on this one."

Meredith couldn't help but laugh, "Now's a good time to probably collect it. Derek owes me, anyway." Anna looked at her curiously. "Derek didn't tell me he was married, when we met," Meredith shook her head remembering that awkward encounter, "His ex-wife cheated on him so he moved his entire life to Seattle."

"That's kind of a big bomb to drop on someone," Anna said. Meredith nodded. "How did you two meet?" Anna asked knowing there had to be a good story there. "Oh, well we met at Joes," Meredith began, "a bar across the street from the hospital. I was alone, nursing my tequila when he sits down next to me and tries to pick me up. Really, he was very persistent. Today, he still argues that I took advantage when in reality it was him." She laughed at the memory. "We sort of ended up together and I kicked him out of my house the next day. I had to go to work. It was my first day as a surgical intern, and of course I was running late."

"Wow," Anna interjected, "That's insane."

"Oh it gets better," Meredith smirked, "Because Derek the man at the bar turned out to be Dr. Derek Shepherd, head of neurosurgery, and my boss."

"Ouch," Anna gasped, "Seriously?"

"Seriously…" Meredith repeated. "You obviously ended up married," Anna said, "at least you guys got your happy ending."

"Only after a lot of breaking up. He was ready for all of this," Meredith gestured to the house, "Marriage, kids, you know the whole shebang. It took me longer." She looked at Anna, "I held you after you were born. My mother didn't want me to. She said it would be easier. But I had to. I needed… closure." Meredith took a sip of her wine, "You put your little hand around my pinky and held on for an hour while I talked to you. You were perfect, Anna." Meredith felt her eyes pool with tears. She hadn't thought about that day in forever. "In the nursery, they called you Baby Grey," she said, "And for two hours, you were mine." Anna wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders, "Thank you for telling me that," she whispered as Meredith held onto her as they both cried. They weren't sad tears, they were happy ones.

"Hey Meredith," Anna said once the tears stopped, "I'd really like to know you."

"You do?" Meredith grinned, "Because I want to get to know you too."

"I know you're busy," Anna added, "Being a surgeon and everything but we can do coffee or something, right?"

"Absolutely," Meredith beamed, "Coffee is always good. You can come to the hospital anytime to visit," she said, "If you ever want to shadow me or even Derek let me know," she offered, "Being related to a doctor isn't a bad thing. Especially, if you want to get into med school."

"Really?" Anna asked as her face lit up. "I'd love to do that. Do you think I could watch a surgery?"

"Of course," Meredith said, "I could definitely sneak you into the OR gallery. Although you might have to wear scrubs."

"Seriously, this is amazing," Anna said in disbelief. "Finding my birth mother is one thing, but finding out she's this incredible doctor who owns a hospital is too much."

"Did you Google me, Anna?" She asked smiling. "Yeah," Anna admitted sheepishly, "Once I got your name. But it was mostly research stuff. Things that are way over my head. There was an article about gliomas and some clinical trial you worked on."

"Derek and I pioneered that one," Meredith added. "There was a lot of stuff about your mother too," Anna supplied, "How she came up with the Grey Method and laparoscopic surgeries. There was an article about her winning some award called the Harper Averys…"

"That's the highest honor you can get in the medical field," Meredith said, "Obviously you do your research." She smiled, "That will come in handy one day."

"Did you know you always wanted to be a doctor?" Anna asked, "Because I sort of felt like I had to."

"No," Meredith shook her head, "For the longest time, I refused to be anything like my mother. I flitted around Europe with my best friend, Sadie, living out of a backpack after we graduated. My mother didn't think I could handle medical school, so to prove a point, I took the MCAT and got in everywhere I applied."

"Was she that bad?" Anna asked, "I mean your mother," she clarified.

"My mother," Meredith began, "was about as maternal as a steak knife. But she loved me as much as she was capable of loving me."

"What about your dad?"

"Thatcher," Meredith sighed, "was a biology professor. He left my mother and I when I was five. Mom got a job in Boston and I went with her. I didn't have any contact with him until a few years ago when his daughter, Molly came in for a complicated pregnancy."

"Molly's your other half sister," Anna noted remembering what she had told her earlier, "Is she younger than Lexie?"

"Yeah, she's only twenty seven," Meredith said, "Lex would have been 30."

"I have an aunt, sister, and brother," Anna mused, "I went from being an only child to this…"

"I basically grew up as an only child, so I get the feeling. The whole concept of family was foreign to me. Derek has four sisters and sixteen nieces and nephews, and trust me the first time I met all of them, my head spun."

"Sixteen? Holy shit," Anna swore, "I mean I have a few cousins but they live in Vancouver."

"Derek's family lives in New York," Meredith added, "Or I probably wouldn't have even entertained the thought of marrying him," she joked half-seriously.

"I should probably get going," Anna said glancing at her watch, "I have class in the morning."

Meredith really didn't want her to leave, "We have extra guest rooms," she blurted quickly, "I mean only if you want to stay. I can always bring you back to campus."

Anna grinned, "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

Meredith nodded and got up, "I'd say we should crack open another bottle of wine."

"Definitely," Anna agreed, "You know, I have to say, your not at all what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Meredith asked uncorking an expensive bottle.

"I don't know," Anna admitted, "I definitely didn't think I'd be drinking expensive wine with you in your amazing house. I also didn't think you'd be so open to me."

"Well," Meredith said pouring two glasses expertly, "you're better than I expected. I mean you're gorgeous, obviously smart, and mature. God, when I was your age I was the definition of irresponsible. I partied all the time, slept with inappropriate men, and flitted through life without any direction or purpose."

Anna chuckled as Meredith handed her a glass of wine, "I'm pretty mellow," Anna added, "Nothing insane. I swear. I've been in a relationship with Brad for almost two years. I don't smoke or do drugs. I tried pot once but it was such a horrible experience I stayed far away. I had my first kiss when I was seven. I played soccer all through high school and had my first real boyfriend when I was sixteen. Oh, I hate the color pink. Chemistry is my favorite subject. For some reason, I love the Red Sox."

Meredith laughed, "That's because you were born in Boston, Anna. I think it's like some innate thing," she added, "And I also went into labor during a doubleheader versus the Yankees."

"No way?" Anna chuckled, "That's hilarious. Did the Sox at least win?"

"They did," Meredith smiled, "I watched the entire game while you refused to leave my uterus."

Anna laughed, "Was I a total pain?"

"Twenty-two hours of excruciating pain," she teased, "You were almost a c-section because you were facing up instead of down, like normal babies."

"Was Bailey?" Anna asked, "face up?"

"No," Meredith shook her head, "My water broke in the middle of the freaking superstorm last May."

"I remember that storm," Anna said, "He was born during that?"

"Yes, I had an emergency c-section in the dark," Meredith said tucking her feet under her, "He was early and had to go up to the NICU. I didn't want him to be alone, so I made Derek go with him. My doctor got called to another birth and so one of my interns started to close me up, until he saw that I wouldn't stop bleeding. I had to have an emergency splenectomy. My colleague Miranda Bailey had to perform the surgery."

"So that's why his name is Bailey then," Anna added.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded, "His first name is Derek but because that's confusing, we call him Bailey," she paused, "or according to Zola, his name is Bay or brudder."

"That's cute," Anna mused tucking a fly away behind her ear.

"Tell me about Brad," Meredith added, "You've been dating for two years?"

Anna nodded, "We met in Chem lab. He's really tall," she added, "and he plays basketball."

"I dated a basketball player in college, he turned out to be an asshole though," Meredith said taking a sip of wine. Anna couldn't help but laugh, "Brad's a good one," she pulled her phone out of her pocket, "I have a picture," she said pulling up the most recent photo of her and Brad at a team dinner. She handed her phone to Meredith, "Oh," Meredith said staring at the tall, dark haired, brown eyed man with a protective arm around Anna's shoulders. "He's handsome, Anna."

"He's really sweet, too," she gushed. "I mean he does nice stuff for me all the time."

"That's good," Meredith said watching Anna's entire demeanor change when she talked about her boyfriend, "Nice is good," she affirmed, "Really good."

Anna nodded, "Derek seems nice," she offered changing the subject, "I mean he's letting us talk and didn't freak out on you…"

Meredith laughed, "Derek doesn't really freak out," she shook her head, "He's really good at doing that later, once the reality sinks in. Whereas, I most of the time do the freaking out. My mind tends to wander to the worst case scenario. For example, I was terrified that Bailey was going to born with every rare birth defect possible."

"Maybe medical knowledge isn't always useful," Anna offered, "I'm sure, you've seen it all."

"I've seen a lot," Meredith confirmed, "You're right about knowing too much, though. It can definitely be a burden."

Anna yawned, "I didn't realize we've been up talking for so long," she said glancing at the clock, "I'm sure you have work tomorrow."

"I do," Meredith confirmed, "But I have a late shift. I can definitely take you back to campus, although Zola and Bailey are coming for the ride too."

"That's totally, fine," Anna said stifling another yawn. "Come on, Anna," Meredith said grabbing the plates and wine glasses, "You're obviously exhausted."

"I am," Anna sighed, "I'm drained."

"I have extra pajamas if you need them," she offered looking at her t-shirt and jeans. "Sleeping in clothes kind of sucks."

"I'd appreciate it, Meredith," Anna said sleepily. Meredith nodded and went upstairs while Anna followed behind her. "There's a new toothbrush in the guest bathroom," she said opening the door to the guest room. "This is gorgeous," Anna commented taking in the impeccably decorated room. She went over to the bed, "I haven't slept on silk sheets, like ever."

"Well," Meredith chuckled, "You've been missing out. I'll be right back with a change of clothes, she said before leaving.

Derek was reading the latest issue of JAMA, when Meredith walked into their bedroom, "You've kidnapped your kid now, Mer," he teased as she went over to the bureau, "We were just talking. There's twenty-years of information to learn about her, Derek," she said pulling out a pair of old yoga pants and her Dartmouth t-shirt. "Surreal, doesn't even begin to describe this," she said gesturing, "I have my twenty-year old daughter sleeping down the hall in our guest room."

"Yeah, that's definitely a new one, Mer," Derek added putting the journal on the bed. "And you're okay?" He asked again curiously.

"Derek," she sighed rolling her eyes, "I'm happy. And you're worrying is killing my joy."

"Alright," Derek said picking the journal back up, "I'm not trying to be a joy killer."

"For a brain man, you can be kind of brainless," she quipped as she headed down the hall.

Meredith was restless. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute. "Derek," she whispered poking him in the ribs. "Ouch," Derek groaned rolling over, "We need to work on your wake up techniques."

"Sorry," she apologized, "I can't sleep."

"I was trying to do that," Derek yawned, "But your pointy finger stabbed me in my ribs."

"I was thinking about Jake," Meredith admitted, "I never told him. I should have told him, right?"

Derek rubbed his eyes, he wasn't awake enough to answer her question. "Well," he said slowly, "If I had a kid out there, I'd definitely want to know."

"So this scenario wouldn't happen to you," Meredith joked, "No McDreamy's running around."

"Only the one down the hall," Derek added, "And he doesn't run yet. But once he does we're fucked."

"Derek, I'm being serious… I should tell him," Meredith said making up her mind. "But I wouldn't even know where to look."

"Meredith, it's 3:30 in the morning," Derek pointed out, "I'm sure he's not thinking about you and his long lost daughter."

Meredith sighed, "You're right. But I'm going to check the internet," she decided getting out of bed, "I mean a simple search might give me some information."

"Whatever, Meredith," Derek said turning away from her, "Just don't wake me up again, I have rounds in three hours."

Meredith snuck downstairs, careful not to step on the one creaky stair on the stairwell. She went into the kitchen and found her ipad on the countertop. A simple search, she thought full of nerves, can't hurt. She turned the ipad on and pulled up google. _Jake Anderson, Boston _she typed into the search bar. She had 12 million hits to go on. She tried her luck with the first one, thinking that this search might be harder than she thought. She scanned the page, it was for a law firm in Brookline. There was a brief bio and once she got to the end of the page, there was a picture. "Holy shit," she swore. It was him without a doubt. He had the same angular jaw line, deep blue eyes, and thick black hair perfectly cut. He did well, she thought as she clicked on his email link. She stared at the cursor. The black line was taunting her… She bit the bullet.

_Hi Jake, _

_I know this is completely random, but I was wondering if you could give me a call. I don't even know if you remember me, but we were neighbors twenty something years ago. I have something to tell you and it's really important. Please call me at 206-555-3902. _

_Thanks, Meredith Grey_

She re-read the email a million times. She didn't really know what to write because writing, 'Hey, we have a twenty year old daughter that I put up for adoption,' didn't sound like a good idea. She knew this information warranted a conversation, no matter how awkward and uncomfortable this was going to be. Once she hit send, there was no going back. Derek was right. Jake should know. What he did with the information would be completely up to him…

"Meredith," Derek whispered seeing her in the kitchen, "You've been down here for hours." He came over and gave her a quick kiss, "I see you found out some info," he added looking over her shoulder at the screen. "That must be Jake. Good thing he's not as good looking as I am." he added seeing the picture. Meredith nodded, "I really don't know how your ego fits in this kitchen," she teased looking at the screen, "But yeah, he works at a law firm in Brookline. It's ironic really, considering how we were both screwups." Derek poured himself a mug of coffee, "I take it you contacted him."

"I emailed him my number and asked him to call me. It's a long shot, but what you said got me thinking."

"Anna seems like a great kid," Derek commented, "Just from our very brief meeting that is…"

"I'll tell you all about her later," Meredith promised. "I'm driving her back to campus in a few hours. Bailey and Zo are coming for the ride."

Derek nodded and grabbed his cereal from the cabinet, "Maybe she babysits," Derek said pouring himself a bowl, "We always need a good sitter."

"I could ask," Meredith went over to the coffee pot, "I can't believe she wants to get to know me."

"Why wouldn't she?" Derek asked confused, "You are her birth mother. I'd say that's pretty important, wouldn't you?"

"I guess," she said pouring herself a steaming mug of coffee, "I didn't think she'd like me."

Derek shook his head, "You're a very hard person to not like, Meredith Grey. Trust me, I tired."

Meredith was about to snap at him but her phone rang. She glanced at the screen. It was an unknown number with a 617 area code. "Derek," she whispered, "I think it's him. What do I say?" she asked nervously.

"You can try answering the phone," Derek retorted, "I mean then you might actually talk to him."

"Right," Meredith said as she tentatively hit accept. "Dr. Grey," she greeted professionally. "Well if it isn't Meredith Grey," Jake's familiar voice teased, "I mean when I got your email I was shocked to say the least."

"It's been a while," Meredith commented, "I mean over twenty years."

"It has," Jake agreed, "You're email sounded like you really had to talk to me, and I couldn't not call you…"

"Right," Meredith took a deep breath, "I have to tell you something. Are you sitting down?" She asked concerned, "Because it's important."

"Merry," he said using her childhood nickname, "spit it out."

"Do you remember when we raided my mother's liquor cabinet?" Meredith asked trying to keep her voice even. "Which time?" Jake chuckled, "Because you and I got into her liquor more times than I can count."

"The time you and I had sex, Jake," Meredith said getting frustrated. "Oh," he said slowly rather confused, "I _definitely_ remember that time."

"Okay, well I got pregnant," Meredith blurted. "And Ellis made me give her up for adoption."

Jake was speechless and the silence seemed deafening, "Jake," Meredith said softly, "Are you still there?"

"Uh, yeah," he stammered into the phone, "I have to admit I wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither," Meredith mumbled, "But the reason I'm calling is because, well, she found me yesterday. Her name is Anna, she's twenty-years old, and a sophomore at Washington University."

"Anna," Jake repeated, "pretty name."

"She's gorgeous, Jake," Meredith added, "I'm bias but she looks a lot like I did."

"Then I'm sure you're not wrong," Jake said softly, "Does she know about me?"

"I gave her your name," Meredith admitted, "My husband, Derek, is the one who pushed me to call you," she said looking at Derek who was listening intently to their conversation. "He said he'd want to know if he had a daughter out there in the world."

"You should thank him," Jake said. "Does she want contact?"

"I don't know," Meredith said as she took a sip of her coffee, "but I can pass along your email and phone number," she offered.

"Yeah," Jake finally said, "this is sort of a delicate situation."

Meredith nodded, "Definitely, but she's really mature, Jake. She's got a steady boyfriend, a great adoptive family, friends, and a plan for her future."

"So nothing like us then?" he retorted laughing, "Although," he began thoughtfully, "considering you're a doctor and I'm a lawyer, we did a lot better than our parents expected."

"Given the shitty hands we were dealt, Jake, I'd say we surpassed expectations," Meredith smiled at the thought. There was comfortable silence between the two former friends. "Merry, I have to ask… Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

"That's sort of a loaded question," Meredith lamented, "I was a petrified fourteen year old, Jake. I didn't understand the gravity of what was happening to me. Growing a person is a lot of work, and Ellis was less than understanding of the situation," Meredith admitted. "She threatened me with everything you could think of. She pushed for an abortion," Meredith continued, "She warned me that if I told you she'd get you arrested for rape."

"God, Meredith," Jake said shocked, "I had no idea she was such a bitch."

"Well, Ellis Grey wasn't known for her parenting skills," Meredith mused, "Or her people skills actually."

"Holy shit," he swore, "I really don't even know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything," Meredith said, "It's in the past, Jake. I'm over it. I've come a long way from that petrified pregnant fourteen year old."

"I'll say," Jake added, "My assistant is shooting me death looks from her office."

"It's fine. Go be a lawyer, Jake," she laughed, "But I will definitely pass on your information." She promised before he hung up.

She turned to Derek, "That went better than I thought it would," Meredith said taking a breath. "He's the same old Jake."Derek looked at Meredith pointedly, "I really hate your dead mother." Meredith sighed, "Yeah, me too." Derek put a hand on her thigh, "Seriously, Mer, I'm really sorry you had to go through that."

"What doesn't break you, makes you stronger right?" she joked flashing him a small smile, "And as you said, we've been through an alarmingly high number of bad things and came out relatively unscathed."

"Merry?" Derek said testing out her old nickname, "Seriously?" Meredith playfully swatted his chest, "Shut up, we were kids."

"Merry, Merry, Merry," he teased, "It doesn't sound like you."

"And Derbear sounds so much better?" she mocked, "Really, Derek?"

They didn't hear Anna come downstairs, "Derbear?" she asked sleepily, seeing the duo banter over coffee. "Did I hear that correctly?"

Derek shook his head, "My sisters are satanic," he said simply. "Want a cup of coffee?"

"Sure," Anna said as he got a red mug out of the cabinet and handed it to her, "I've got to make rounds," he said giving Meredith a quick kiss, "I'll see you later, Mer." He looked at Anna, "It was nice to meet you, Anna," he added smiling.

"You too, Derek," Anna said pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Anna," Meredith said once Anna sat down, "I just got off the phone with your birth father…"

"Oh," Anna looked at Meredith, "and.." she prompted.

"He said he'd be interested in talking with you and that I can pass along his contact info."She paused, gauging Anna's reaction, "Only if you want it," she added.

Anna put her fingers around the mug, "Yeah," she said finally, "I do."

"He's a lawyer in Boston, now," Meredith informed her, "He's a partner at his firm in Brookline."

"I hit the genetic lotto," Anna smiled, "I mean really, a doctor and a lawyer. What are the odds?"

Meredith couldn't help but laugh, "We were only responsible for your genetics, Anna, your adoptive parents nurtured you. I'd say they definitely helped shape who you've become."

"Oh definitely," Anna grinned, "My mom is a chef at Ria's in Pike Place and my dad works at the Seattle times," she added thinking of her parents, "My mom is the kindest person I know. She's the type of person who would do anything for anyone anytime. And my dad, he likes to fix everything. He actually built me a treehouse, when I was five, in our back yard. It's still there, today."

"They sound like great parents," Meredith smiled, "You're really lucky."

"Luck has nothing to do with it Meredith. You picked them for me," she reminded her. "So it really is all because of you."

Meredith grinned as they sat together drinking their coffee and watching the sunrise. Today, she thought, was going to be a good day.


	2. The Past

**AN: Flashbacks**

_That could have definitely been the most awkward purchase she had ever made in her life, she thought as she opened the brown paper bag. She pulled out the small pink box and read the instructions. It was simple really, pee on a stick and wait five minutes. She could do that. It wasn't like advanced calculus._

_She never had been more nervous in her life. She was late, which wouldn't have been abnormal but she was really, really late. Her mother was at work and Meredith was completely alone in the townhouse. She was used to being alone, the house was just a place she slept in at night. She had no emotional memories or sentiments attached to the house. But suddenly, the house was too empty. It was too quiet so she called her best friend, Sadie._

_"Die," she said using her old nickname, "Can you come over?" She asked pacing her bedroom, "No Ellis isn't home," she quipped rolling her eyes. "Great, see you soon," she said hanging up. __Sadie Harris was Meredith's best friend._

_She had known her forever really, and their parents ran in the same circles. Her dad was a surgeon at Seattle Grace, too. Sadie also hated Meredith's mother almost as much as Meredith did because she saw how Ellis treated Meredith. She knew that she constantly disappointed her and Sadie always picked up the pieces. It was how their friendship worked._

_"DEATH!" Sadie bellowed from downstairs. "Where are you?"_

"_My room," Meredith called from her bedroom. "So," Sadie said bursting into her room, "Why the hell…. oh," she stopped talking once she saw the pregnancy test. "No," she gasped._

_Meredith looked at her and gulped. "Yeah. I'm late. Like a month and I'm freaking out."_

"_Are you sure?" Sadie questioned tentatively. "It could be from the pill."_

_"No, it's not the pill," Meredith continued, "I couldn't be pregnant. It was my first time and we were drunk." She paused____. "I can't take the test alone," she added looking at Sadie._

"_I'm here, alright, go pee on the stupid stick. You're probably worrying for no reason," Sadie assured her._

"_Okay," Meredith said finally walking pointedly to the bathroom. "I guess we're just going to have to wait and see."_

_She shut the door behind her and slunk down to the floor delaying the inevitable. Her thoughts were racing, she couldn't be pregnant. At fourteen, she had her whole life ahead of her she had so much potential. She had yet to become the person she was supposed to be. God, her mother was going to kill her. She was going to force her to have an abortion or put the baby up for adoption._

_Meredith looked down at her chipped fingernails and peeled off some black polish. She couldn't help but think her nails looked like tiny black ants. Concentrating on her nails was a hell of a lot easier than thinking about being a mother. She couldn't have a kid. She was a kid. That in itself defied all laws of parenthood, right? She finally got up, it was truth time._

_Five minutes seemed like forever. The test was perched on the edge of the sink, teasing her. The results were in. It was time for the moment of truth, but Meredith just needed to sit there for another minute. She knew, that once she saw the tiny plus sign, she couldn't deny or avoid it any longer. _

_"Meredith," Sadie called knocking on the bathroom door, "Are you okay in there?"_

_Meredith got up and let Sadie in, avoiding the test. "Did you look yet?" Sadie asked as the door opened. "No," she mumbled full of misery. "I'm too chicken." Sadie grabbed the test, "Shit, Meredith," she swore. "You are pregnant." She handed Meredith the test so she could see for herself. "Fuck," Meredith groaned. "This can't be happening."_

"_Well," Sadie began tentatively, "It is."_

* * *

_"Is this yours?" Ellis asked as she stormed into Meredith's room and threw the positive pregnancy test on the bed. Meredith sat up sleepily, she was exhausted and facing her mother's wrath wasn't high priority. "Yeah," she said rubbing her eyes. "I'm pregnant," she confirmed. Damn she should have thrown that test out downstairs._

_Ellis was silent. Meredith shifted uncomfortably in her bed and waited for the verbal lashing she knew was coming. "Mom," she began softly, "I'm sorry." _

_"Sorry?" Ellis said laughing. _

_Meredith made a face. This definitely wasn't the reaction she'd been anticipating. "Oh, all the crap you pull Meredith, this one wins..." she finished scowling and walked out of her room slamming the door behind her. _

_Meredith was in shock. She quietly got out of the bed and went downstairs. Clearly, she mused as she reached her mother's office, she was a sucker for punishment. _

_"Mom," she said gently hovering in the doorway. "Meredith, you know I hate it when you hover. In or out? Make a choice," Ellis said looking up at her from her paperwork. _

_Meredith slowly took a step in and took a breath, "I don't know what to do, mom," she admitted nervously. _

_"Meredith, you made an adult choice," Ellis said taking her glasses off. "Yelling and screaming at you won't do anything... I'm definitely angry," she added trying to keep her voice steady. "But," she continued, "I'm angry at myself too," she confessed. "I should have been around more than maybe you wouldn't have..." _

_"Had sex and gotten pregnant?" Meredith cut in sitting in the chair across from her mother. "It was my first time, mom," she added blushing. And we were too stupidly drunk to remember protection, she added silently.  
_

_"You need to come with me tomorrow. We'll get you an appointment with Dr. Kingston and go through your options." _

_"I'm not terminating, mother," Meredith said forcefully surprising herself. She hadn't been sure of what she was going to do until now. _

_"Meredith, you're tiny," Her mother said gesturing to her petite daughter. "Your body will be put through hell," she reminded her. "Adoption or abortion are your only options." _

_"Because me being a parent would be such a terrible, idea, mom," she said standing up. "I know I'm young but I could do it." _

_"You can't be a mother Meredith," Her mother said with her voice raising. "You have to graduate high school and go on to college," Ellis added mapping out her future. _

_Meredith shook her head and clenched her fists. "It's my life, mother, it's my choice," she said before walking away. _

_"Well, if that's what you want, Meredith, you can pack up and leave," she said venomously. "I can also get that boy you had sex with arrested for statutory rape," she assured her. _

_ Meredith knew her mother didn't make veiled or empty threats. _

* * *

_Seven months later..._

_ She had so little control of her life lately. Her body wasn't hers anymore because she was sharing it with a baby._

_She felt a hard kick to her rib cage. Ouch, she winced in pain. At almost nine months, her equilibrium wasn't exactly perfect and she spent more time lounging around then she'd care to admit. Her belly was so large, she hadn't seen her toes in months. _

_She sat down on the couch and lifted up the oversized t-shirt she was wearing, "Baby," she pleaded as she splayed her fingers across her growing stomach, "please stop kicking me. Today sucks a lot, and with your powerful little kicks I really just want to curl up in a ball and cry," she admitted._

_Today also happened to be her birthday. She really hated her birthday... Her mother hadn't spent a birthday with her since she was five. _

_Suddenly, her stomach started to constrict and a sharp pain shot through her back. "Damn it," she swore reaching for the phone. She didn't want to be in labor on today of all days, but apparently her daughter had other ideas._

_"Hi, it's Meredith," she said into the phone, "She's coming," she breathed as a contraction hit her like a ton of bricks. _

* * *

_22 hours later... _

_"She's gorgeous," the nurse cooed as she placed the baby in Meredith's arms. _

_She was sweaty, exhausted and sore but once her daughter was nestled in the crook of her arm nothing else seemed to matter. "I'll give you some privacy," the nurse said gently before leaving the room. _

_"Hi," Meredith said softly staring at the pink bundle in her arms, "I'm your mom. Wow, that's weird. A mom. Granted, I'm not the mom that's going to raise you. I picked one for you and I'm sure you're going to love her," she added grinning. "I wanted to keep you," she confessed quietly as the baby grabbed her pinky. "But my own mother is forcing me to give you up, which I understand... somewhat. You see, my mom, she's a surgeon. She's one of the greats and me, well, I'm kind of screwed. I'm too young to support you by myself," she said continuing to ramble. "See, we share a birthday, baby, you and me," she said softly. "I'm fifteen, which for the record is really, really young to be a mom. I don't recommend breaking into the liquor cabinet with a boy and having sex," she whispered. "Stay away from tequila," she advised with a grin. "But anyway," she continued, "I'm going to try and make this short and sweet, okay, because we don't have much more time together." She looked up at the clock, "You're adoptive parents are going to be here soon. I know this sucks, but you're going to have a really good life," she promised as a tear slipped down her cheeks. "I'm sure of it," she continued, "You can look me up, when you're older," she said honestly. "I'd really like to know how you turn out," she said tracing the baby's face. "I love you baby girl." _

_"Meredith," her mother cut in barging into the her room. "They're here." _

_Meredith looked down at the baby, "Okay," she said softly. "I guess I'm ready." _


	3. Skeletons

"Mer, have you seen my gray tie?" Derek asked walking into the bathroom. Meredith looked away from the mirror and took the toothbrush out of her mouth, "No," she said shaking her head. "I think you should go with the blue one though," she added looking at him. "It brings out your eyes."

Derek chuckled and walked toward their closet. "Are you nervous?" she asked tentatively. Today was a big day for him. He was being vetted by the president.

"No," he said rather unconvincingly rummaging through the closet.

"I don't believe you," she added going over to the dresser and pulling out the blue tie. "Here," she said walking over to him and putting it around his neck. "This one's better."

"Do you have any more skeleton's Mer?" he teased as she knotted his tie. "Anything else I should know?"

"No," she said smiling. "You know everything about me."

"No more secret daughter's or ex-husbands?" he prompted joking.

"One husband is definitely more than enough," she added smoothing his shirt. "There," she said appraising her work. "What about you? Any more secret wives? Or maybe you have a son or daughter you didn't know about," she added grinning.

"Nope," Derek chuckled, "Just the two in the other room."

"Speaking of," Meredith began, "It's eight o'clock and their both still sleeping," she said before kissing him. "We could you know," she said nodding her head toward the bed. "Oh," he said loosening the tie. "I knew I married you for a reason."

"Right, all the morning sex," she said giggling. She was about to kiss him when her phone started going off. "Crap," she swore as she walked over to her nightstand. "Meredith Grey."

"It's Anna," she mouthed to Derek who sighed. What was it with kids and interrupting sex...

"Really? Okay, sure. What time?" she sputtered into the phone. "Okay see you then," she added hanging up. She turned to Derek. "Apparently, Jake's in town. He and Anna have been talking since I gave her his email address..."

"And?"

"And, she wants me to come with them to dinner tonight," she finished with a shrug. "She's nervous, Derek."

"So you're like her buffer," he said knowingly. "And you're going," he said knowingly with a frown.

"Derek, it's just dinner," she pointed out. "Remember how nervous I was with Thatcher?" she added.

Derek nodded even though he couldn't help but feel insanely jealous of a man he'd never met.

"He may be the first person I slept with Derek... but you're the last," she said trying to calm him down.

Derek smiled. "Fine," he conceded, "But I'm not exactly happy about this."

"I get it," she said seriously. "But you have nothing to worry about," she added giving him a quick kiss.

* * *

"Hi, Meredith," Anna greeted getting in the front seat of Meredith's car.

She was nervous. She'd changed her outfit at least twenty times and had made a mess of her tiny dorm room before settling on a knee-length black skirt, a pink collared shirt and her black boots. "Do I look okay?" she questioned looking down at her outfit and then at Meredith. She couldn't help but notice how similar their choices were. Meredith was a tan skirt, brown boots, and a red sweater. Maybe fashion sense is genetic? she mused shaking her head.

"Perfect," she said smiling. "Really, Anna you have nothing to be nervous about."

"I mean you always look so put together," Anna complimented. "I want to make a good impression."

"You will," she assured her gently touching her shoulder. "And if I remember correctly, Jake has this ability to make everyone feel comfortable."

"That's good," she said wringing her wrists nervously. "I spent most of my day stressed out over this... and I'm pretty sure I'm breaking out in stress hives," she added itching her neck with her head.

"I had a case today, you might be interested in," Meredith said changing the subject.

"You're trying to distract me," Anna pointed out grinning.

"Do you want to hear about the case or not?" Meredith asked with a smile.

"Tell me," she prompted.

"A twenty-five year old woman came into the ER complaining of severe abdominal pain," she began as she pulled on the highway, "and they called me down for a consult..."

She had just finished telling Anna all about the surgery when she pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "And we actually kept the teratoma. It was seriously the biggest one I'd ever seen," she finished as she cut the engine.

"Gross," Anna grimaced. "All because she ate her hair?"

"Yup," Meredith said nodding. "So for the record, I wouldn't recommend doing that."

Anna laughed as she got out of the car and caught up with Meredith. "But seriously though, Meredith," she paused standing outside the restaurant, "what if he doesn't like me?"

Meredith grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side, so an elderly couple could walk past them. "Listen," she began softly, "He would be an idiot not to love you," she said tucking a stay hair behind Anna's ear. "You're a Grey, Anna, and we're strong alright." She paused. I'm nervous too," she admitted softly, "But nerves are good, okay? I'll sit next to you the entire time," she said seriously. "Well unless, you know, I have to go to the bathroom or something," she amended. "But it's just a meal. Just think of it as a free meal with the added bonus of meeting man who is responsible for the other half of your DNA."

"Okay," she said nervously as Meredith gave her a hug. "I'm better," she assured her as she followed Meredith through the front door.

"Welcome to Costello's," the young hostess greeted, "Do you have a reservation?"

"It's under Anderson," Anna muttered looking at Meredith nervously.

"Ah, Mr. Anderson party of three," she said grabbing two menu's. "Follow me," she added as they walked toward the back of the restaurant. Meredith saw him first. He looked really good, she thought, watching him fiddle with his blackberry. He was dressed casually, she noticed in a crisp white button down. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and she could tell he worked out. He definitely wasn't the same scrawny eighteen-year old he was twenty-two years ago, she mused catching his gaze.

"Well if it isn't Merry Grey," Jake quipped looking at Meredith. He stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi Jake," she said evenly with a gleam in her eyes. "And this is Anna," she said introducing her daughter who was nervously standing next to her.

"Hi," she said with a small smile. "It's nice to finally meet you," she said politely not knowing what to say. There should be some sort of guidebook on meeting your parents, she mused.

She looks so much like you," he added looking at Meredith. "You could pass as sisters," he said seriously gesturing to the empty chair opposite him. "I ordered wine," he said as they sat down. "I mean, you just turned twenty-one right?"

Anna nodded as she put her napkin in her lap. "Meredith and I have the same birthday," she reminded him as the waiter came back with the wine.

"Did you do anything fun?" he asked looking at Anna. "Twenty-one's a big one."

"Well, actually," Anna began feeling less awkward, "I had dinner at Meredith's with her family and then went out with my boyfriend. It was really mellow," she said taking a sip of wine.

"Clearly, she didn't inherit my genes," Meredith said laughing twisting her fingers around the stem of her glass.

"Or mine," Jake added smirking.

"Shocking," Anna interjected with a grin. "Meredith kind of clued me in on what she was like as teenager but what about you?" she asked pointedly looking at Jake.

"I was a scrawny kid," he began, "I wore all black and listened to a lot of angry rock."

"Basically, like Meredith," Anna cut in remembering what Meredith had told her.

"With one fundamental difference," he said seriously, "I loved the Clash and she couldn't stand them. She was more of a Duran-Duran fan..."

"I still hate the Clash," she interjected taking a sip of wine. "My husband, Derek, is a huge fan."

Jake chuckled. "That must be Karma for all the times you complained about them."

"I might have to check them out," Anna said, "I mean they must be good."

Meredith shook her head. "No, it'll make you're ears bleed," she said joking.

"Is that your professional medical advice?" Jake cut in teasing her. "Because if so then, I'm not sure I'd want you to operate on me."

Meredith smirked. "Ethically, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to operate on you," she said taking a sip of wine, "So you're safe," she retorted.

"Meredith was just telling me about a teratoma she removed today," Anna said looking at her mother.

"A teratoma?"

"A tumor made of hair and teeth," Anna quipped filling him in. "Her patient had a condition that made her eat her hair..."

Jake made a face. "Why would anyone do that?"

"It's called Trichotillomania, it's an impulse control disorder where people pull out their hair. Sometimes, people eat it... Like my patient today," Meredith added.

"Meredith's letting me watch her perform a surgery tomorrow," Anna said changing the subject. "She's going to sneak me into the OR gallery."

"You must be excited," Jake said nodding.

"I am," Anna said happily. "Most med students don't see the OR until their internship. I'm just a lowly pre-med student."

"What's the surgery?" Jake asked genuinely interested. He could see how passionate Anna was about medicine, because she lit up when she talked about Meredith's cases.

"Kidney transplant," Meredith informed him. "Pretty standard," she added.

"It's still cool," Anna rolled her eyes.

Jake laughed. "Classic Meredith," he said looking at Anna.

Meredith chuckled. "Derek said the same thing," she added.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the ladies room," Anna said standing up and walking toward the restrooms.

"She's pretty great," Jake said as soon as she was gone. "She idolizes you," he pointed out looking at Meredith.

"She's a good kid," Meredith said honestly. "She's so much more responsible than I ever was," she added. "She was so nervous before we got here," she continued taking a sip of wine. "Like seriously terrified."

"I'm not that scary," Jake protested.

"No," Meredith shook her head. "Not even a little scary. She thought you wouldn't like her," she admitted looking at him.

"Not possible," Jake said seriously. "I love her already."

"Me too," Meredith confessed. "I mean I already loved her," she amended, "But more, if that's possible, because I've gotten to know her."

"Who would have thought that afternoon we got into you're mother's liquor cabinet that we'd be sitting here having dinner with our twenty-one year old daughter?" he wondered.

"Never in a million years," Meredith stated. "But I'm really glad we did."

"Me too," he said as Anna returned to the table.

"What?" she said sitting down, "is there something on my face?"

"No, we're just talking about you," Jake said. "All good things," he assured her.

* * *

Dinner seemed to fly by. The trio spent hours catching up and Anna entertained them with stories about her past. "How long are you in Seattle, Jake?" Anna asked as they made their way to the parking lot.

"Sunday. But I'm free Saturday, if you want to show me around Seattle," he suggested. "I haven't seen any of the sights yet."

"Sure," Anna said nodding. "Maybe Brad's free."

"The boyfriend?" Jake questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Anna smiled.

"I met him," Meredith interjected. "He's a good kid."

"Well, if Meredith approves, then it's my turn right?" Jake said grinning.

"Exactly," Anna said as they got to Meredith's car. "Thanks for dinner, Jake."

"Anytime, Anna," he said as he opened the car door for her. "You should come to Boston," he offered. "I know your mother has those flashy surgeries but I'm pretty good in the courtroom," he quipped.

"I'll have to see," she muttered grinning. "I don't know if you can persuade me into law," she added shaking her head as Meredith started the car. "See you around, Jake," Meredith added as he shut the door.

"So?" Meredith prompted. "No reason to be nervous," she said as she pulled out of the space.

"Nope," Anna shook her head smiling, "none."

* * *

It was late when she finally made it home after dropping Anna off at school. She put the key in the lock with the intention of going directly to bed. She was exhausted and hoped that Zola and Bailey were sleeping.

"Hey," she said opening the door to see Derek sitting on the couch. "How was you're interview thing?" she asked tiredly hanging her coat up.

"It was good," Derek said putting his papers down in his lap.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him. He was holding back and she knew it.

Derek sighed and ran his hands through his hair before he began. "You know how I told you they'd be very through..."

"Yeah," she said taking her boots off. "And?"

"They checked into you too," he said looking at her.

"So? You know my skeletons," Meredith grumbled. "You don't have skeleton's Mer," he began taking a breath, "You're mother does."

"They looked into my mother?" Meredith asked fully alert. "Why would they do that?"

"They looked into mine too," he added slowly.

"What did they find?" Meredith asked looking at him. "I can take it, whatever it is, Derek spit it out." No anesthesia.

But this time, she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it. Only Ellis Grey could continue to haunt her from the grave. "Meredith," Derek began, tentatively, "Your mother had a baby and put her up for adoption when you were five."

So not what she was expecting...


	4. Grey's Anatomy

_**AN: Shit just got real. Reviews would be nice. **_

_"What did they find?" Meredith asked looking at him. "I can take it, whatever it is, Derek spit it out." No anesthesia._

_But this time, she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it. Only Ellis Grey could continue to haunt her from the grave. "Meredith," Derek began, tentatively, "Your mother had a baby and put her up for adoption when you were five."_

_So not what she was expecting..._

* * *

_"_What?" she asked in shock. This didn't make any sense, surely, she'd remember if her mother had been pregnant. Four-year olds remember that stuff, at least Zola did... "Wait, what?" she repeated sitting down next to him. She felt the air go out of her chest and she couldn't breathe. "I have another sibling?" she muttered trying to wrap her head around this new information.

"A half-sister."

She chuckled at the irony. "Seriously?"

Derek nodded. "Her name is Maggie Pierce, she's a cardiothoracic surgeon in Boston."

"Maggie Pierce," Meredith repeated testing the name out. "Whose her father?" She already knew but she had to hear it confirmed, there was a slight chance it could be Thatcher's...

Derek shot her a look, "Richard," he said quietly as the damn broke.

"Richard Webber?" she spat standing up furious. "I mean seriously, are you kidding me?" she really didn't know how much more of this she could take. She started pacing lost in thought.

"Mer," he said holding onto her shoulders so she couldn't move, "look at me. You're wearing a hole in the carpet," he teased trying to make her smile.

She lifted her gaze to his and steadied her breathing. "This isn't okay," she finally said defeated. "My fucking mother continues to haunt me from her grave," she said furiously. Her anger was out of control and she needed to do something about it.

"I can't be here, now," she said grabbing her coat and keys, "I'm going to Cristina's."

"Okay," Derek said knowing that if she couldn't talk to him, Cristina was the next best thing. "Don't do anything stupid, Meredith," he said as she shut the door behind her.

Meredith Grey hadn't felt this level of anger in a really long time. She was pissed, royally pissed as she knocked on Alex's front door at two in the morning.

"Mer," Alex said opening the door squinting at her. "I really should just make you a key," he muttered letting her into the house. "Shut up Alex," she said brushing past him toward Cristina's room.

She gently opened the door and walked over to the empty side of Cristina's bed. "Mer," Cristina said into the darkness, "What happened? Was it Jake?"

"No," she mumbled getting under the covers. "That was fine."

"Okay," Cristina said slowly turning to face her, "Derek?"

"No," Meredith said with a sigh.

"I'm running out of ideas here, Meredith," Cristina said as she propped up on her elbow. Something was very wrong.

"My mother's a whore," Meredith finally said. "She has a daughter with Richard."

"Wait what?" Cristina said sitting up. "You're joking right?"

Meredith glared at her. "No," she shook her head. "I wish."

"Let me get this straight, Ellis and Richard have a kid," she muttered in shock.

"And she put her up for adoption when I was five," Meredith added. "I only found out because Derek told me."

"Oh the presidential vetting," Cristina said yawning.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this new information? Jump for joy that I have another sister? Because I can't handle another sister."

"You just found your long-lost daughter," Cristina added sympathetically. "I'm sure this is putting you over the edge."

"Exactly, and Anna's awesome and amazing," Meredith stated. "But this new information is literally earth shattering. It's like my past is a joke."

"I have some tequila," Cristina offered knowing that if anyone needed a drink it would be Meredith.

"I have a surgery tomorrow at noon," she said tiredly. "But we are definitely getting drinks after work," she said looking pointedly at Cristina.

"Did Derek try and be all supportive?"

"Yeah and he doesn't get it," she mumbled. "He's got the perfect family, you know? Mine's all dark and complicated."

"You got that right, Mer," Cristina stated nodding.

Meredith put her head on Cristina's shoulder. "What do I do about this information?"

"You're guess is as good as mine, Mer," Cristina yawned.

* * *

Morning came too freaking soon. "Uh, can you shut that thing off?" Meredith groaned half-awake as the alarm went off.

Cristina stretched and hit the snooze button. "Sleep in my bed. Deal with my alarm," she quipped seriously as Alex barged into the room munching on cereal.

"You know, Mer," he began, "you should have just kept a set of keys."

"Can you chew any louder?" she asked throwing a pillow at him.

"I can try," he retorted through a mouthful of Lucky Charms.

"Hey," Cristina said sitting up, "those are mine," she said pointing to the box. "And why are you drinking a beer at seven in the morning?"

"Because you didn't buy any milk," he retorted taking a swig.

"Gross, Alex," Meredith said sitting up. "That's disgusting."

"I didn't rent you're old room out yet," he said looking at Meredith, "if you're having issues with McDreamy."

"Alex, it's mommy issues," Cristina cut in whispering.

"Gee, thanks Cristina," Meredith said getting up and walking over to Alex. "My mom and Richard have a kid," she confessed.

Alex dropped the box of cereal, "You're shitting me..."

"Nope, she's serious," Cristina added.

"You have another sister, Grey?"

Meredith nodded picking up the cereal. "Yeah, I do, apparently."

"So, can I bang this one too?" Alex said grinning.

"Shut up, Alex," she rolled her eyes and dug her hand into the box.

"Just asking," he said taking a sip of beer. "It explains why you're in bed with Yang instead of your husband."

"Derek's being all supportive," Cristina retorted as Meredith shot her a look.

"You know, I am capable of speaking for myself, Cristina," she chided through a mouthful of marshmallows.

"The Shepherds are normal and your family is... well... yours," he finished lamely.

"Well, that was a succinct description Alex," Meredith quipped handing the box back to him. "I should go check on my kids, I didn't get to see them yesterday, you know, with surgery and meeting Anna for dinner," she said grabbing her coat from the floor.

"Oh yeah, how did dinner go with the baby daddy?" Alex asked curiously.

"Fine," Meredith answered honestly. "I was there as a buffer."

"Anna was chicken, right?" Alex questioned. "She needed her mommy?" he teased.

Meredith hit him on the arm. "Seriously, Alex, shut it," she snapped as she walked out of the room.

"Well, someone's PMSing," Alex whispered to Cristina as the door slammed. Cristina just glared at him in response.

* * *

Meredith was running late.

Zola was being difficult this morning and not wanting to go to daycare, and Bailey was being fussier than normal. She had finally made it into the hospital with both kids in the stroller when she literally ran into Anna. "Hey," she said frazzled, "I just have to drop these two off downstairs and then I can get you some scrubs..."

"Hi Anna," Zola said brightly.

"Hey Zo," she said smiling. She turned to Bailey, "Hey buddy," she said as he gave her a grin.

"That's funny," Meredith mused, "He's been cranky all morning and he smiled at you." She paused. "He must really like you," she added.

"Well, us siblings got to stick together, right Zo?"

"Right," Zola said beaming. "Anna is my sissy," she said proudly.

"Yeah," Meredith smiled, "She's your sister."

"Dr. Grey," Dr. Edwards said interrupting the moment, "I'm glad I caught you because Bailey wanted to know if she could switch OR times with you."

"No," Meredith shook her head. "I can't."

"She's not going to be too happy," Edwards stated frowning. She really didn't want to piss Bailey off this morning. She was already on a warpath.

"Well, tell I would if I could," Meredith added hoping that it would ease the blow. Edwards nodded and walked away.

"Bailey?" Zola asked as they walked to the elevators.

"Not your brother, Zo," Meredith chuckled. "But one of Mama's doctor friends."

"Oh," she said nodding as the elevator doors opened. "Hi Mer," Alex said as Meredith maneuvered the stroller into the elevator, "Anna," he said looking at Meredith's daughter.

"Alex," she said as she hit the button for the daycare floor. "Any good surgeries today?" she asked conversationally.

"Nothing major," Alex sighed. "Just post-ops, really. It's kind of boring."

"I've got a Kidney transplant in an hour, if you want to scrub in," she offered.

"Really?" he asked shocked. "I'm touched," he said dramatically.

"I can rescind my offer," she said as the elevator doors opened.

"Nope, don't do that," he called after her, "I'll see you at twelve."

* * *

"Light blue scrubs are interns and navy scrubs are for attending's?" Anna asked for clarification looking down at the light blue ones Meredith had given her.

"After six years of residency, that's what you earn," she said as she put her purple scrub cap on. "That and a pay raise," she amended.

Anna giggled. "So how come you don't have an intern for this surgery?"

"Oh, I don't need one, I got Alex."

"I thought he was a pediatric surgeon?"

"Yeah, that's his specialty. Pediatric surgery is a sub speciality of general surgery," Meredith explained. "It's like how trauma is a sub specialty of general surgery too."

"How many specialties are there?" Anna asked curiously as they walked out of the lounge.

"A lot," she said honestly. "There's neuro, cardio, ortho, neonatal, pediatric, trauma, general, plastics, urology, ENT..." she trailed off as they reached the gallery.

Anna was excited as Meredith pushed the door open to the gallery. Wow, she thought surveying the pristine room below them. "This is awesome," she breathed taking it all in. "There's the monitor," Meredith pointed to the television screen, "I asked them to record it so you'll get a really good picture of what's happening exactly when it's happening."

"Are there going to be other people up here?" Anna asked curiously looking at the empty rows of chairs.

"Yeah, all interns and residents need observation hours," Meredith said evenly. "But most of the time, they just sort of wander in when it's convenient for them..."

She pointed to the white rectangle on the wall. "That's the intercom," she added. "Basically you'll be able to hear whatever people are saying down in the OR when the red light is on."

"Okay," Anna said nodding in awe of everything.

"Right, well, I'm going to go scrub in," Meredith said interrupting Anna's thoughts.

"Sure, yeah," she muttered not really paying attention.

Meredith shook her head and smirked as she walked out of the room.

* * *

Anna was enthralled by the surgery, her eyes were glued to the monitor and she occasionally looked down to see what was happening. After two hours, she hadn't moved until Derek walked in. "Hi Anna," he said hovering in the doorway. He pressed the intercom to talk to Meredith. "So, daycare paged and Bailey has a fever," he said frowning.

"I'm sort of busy here, Derek," Meredith snapped with her hands inside her patient. "Can't you get him? Or call a sitter?" she suggested.

"I have surgery in twenty-minutes and our go to sitter is unavailable."

"I'll can watch him," Anna offered looking at Derek.

"You don't have to Anna," Meredith said looking up, "I promised you a surgery."

"I watched two hours," Anna said with a shrug. "I really don't mind."

Derek grinned. "See it's settled," he added crossing his arms. "Anna doesn't mind."

"Fine," Meredith relented looking at Anna. "It's totally up to you."

"Meredith, it's totally okay. I'll even get Zola," she said, "I could bring them back to the house if you want..."

"Derek, give her you're keys," Meredith said looking up at Derek. "Thank you, Anna," she said before glaring at her husband.

"Anytime," she said as she walked past Derek.

"We owe her," Meredith quipped before she went back to suturing.

* * *

"Alex, can you close?" she asked pointedly.

Alex nodded. "Go take care of your kids," he said through his scrub mask.

"Thanks," she said.

Her transplant was successful, but now, it was the waiting game. Her patient's body could easily reject the new Kidney which was always a bummer.

"I thought you had surgery?" Cristina asked standing at the OR nurses station charting.

"Alex is closing," she said taking her scrub cap off. "Bailey has a fever so Anna took them back to the house."

"Poor kid," Cristina said looking at the OR board. "Derek's got a craniotomy?"

"Which he neglected to tell me about," Meredith retorted. "He told me it was a research day..."

"And you guys didn't have any backup childcare," Cristina said knowingly. "Well, having a daughter whose capable of babysitting is an added bonus."

"I just don't want her to feel like it's an obligation," Meredith muttered.

"She just found out she has siblings," Cristina reminded her. "I doubt they're an obligation. If anything, Anna seems like the kind of person who wants to be sister." Cristina paused. "Speaking of sisters..."

"Don't finish that sentence," Meredith warned glaring at her. "I've decided I'm not thinking about it."

"Avoiding," Cristina nodded. "Good plan, Mer," she said sarcastically. "Are we still on for drinks at Joes?"

"Hopefully," Meredith said, "It's Derek's turn to watch them. Bailey should be fine. He just needs some tylenol."

"You should bring Anna," Cristina suggested. "I'd like to see Mini-Mer in action."

Meredith chuckled. "I hate to disappoint but Anna isn't like me when it comes to drinking."

"She just hasn't had enough practice," Cristina said laughing.

"I'll offer," she conceded. "But I'm not getting my daughter drunk."

* * *

The house was quiet as Meredith put her keys in the bowl by the door and took her coat off. "Anna?" she called slipping her shoes off.

"Upstairs, Meredith."

She quietly walked upstairs and stopped in the doorway of her bedroom.

Anna and Zola were curled up under the covers next to each other and Bailey was sleeping in the bassinet next to them. It was a really sweet picture.

"Hi," she whispered looking at Anna.

"We're watching a movie, Mama," Zola said quietly.

"Bailey just feel asleep, fifteen minutes ago," Anna added. "I gave him some tylenol. He really didn't feel good."

"He's teething too," Meredith pointed out as she slipped under the covers on the other side of the bed.

"How'd you're surgery go?" Anna asked softly.

"Good, barring any complications he'll be fine."

"Mama, shush," Zola chided pointing to the screen.

"Sorry, Zo," Meredith said laughing. "I know, Frozen's your favorite."

"What is it with toddler's and this movie?" Anna whispered.

"No idea," she shrugged.

* * *

"You add paprika, too?" she asked as she pulled the spice out of the cabinet.

"Yeah, it gives it more flavor," Anna said pointing to the bowl of marinade. "My mom make's this all the time."

"Perks of growing up with a chef," Meredith said wiping her hands on her apron. "Ask anyone, I'm the worst person in the kitchen."

"Come on, Mer," Anna laughed. "I'm sure your not that terrible."

"Trust me," she said adding the paprika, "I suck."

Anna was trying to teach Meredith how to marinate a chicken breast when Derek walked in. "You're cooking?" he asked shocked.

"See, told you," Meredith quipped looking at Anna as she dipped the raw chicken into the bowl.

"Make sure you get the whole thing," Anna said watching her. "You don't want half your chicken marinated..."

"You should give Mer some lessons," Derek added watching them together.

"Hi, Dada," Zola said looking up from her block tower. "Look what I made!"

"Nice, Zo," Derek commented putting his brief case down. "How's Bailey?"

"Sleeping," Meredith answered turning the stove on. "Anna gave him some tylenol and he fell asleep," she added. "He cut a tooth the other day and he's been super fussy."

"How'd your surgery go?"

"Fine. Yours?"

"Good, no complications," he said sitting down with Zola.

"Can you watch the kids tonight? A bunch of us are meeting at Joe's," she questioned putting the chicken in the skillet. "Like this?" she asked looking at Anna.

"Exactly, just don't put them too close to one another."

"You mean Alex and Cristina?" Derek asked already knowing the answer. "Yeah," she nodded. "And Anna too," she added looking at her. "I mean if you want to go," she amended.

"I don't have plans," she said smiling. "I'd love to. Is Joe's casual?" she asked looking down at her jeans and black t-shirt.

"I've gone to Joe's in my scrub pants once," Meredith admitted. "And you look fine."

"There was that one time you wore a dress," Derek pointed out with a smirk.

"Only once," she said laughing. "And you picked me up. Look at how that turned out," she teased him.

Anna chuckled. "So that's the place you two met?" she asked for clarification.

"Emerald City Bar," Meredith nodded. "But it's just Joe's to us. We became good friends with the owner."

"Only because you were there like every night," Derek shook his head.

"Not true," she looked at Anna. "Don't listen to anything he says."

"Meredith, I think you flip the chicken now," Anna said pointing to sizzling chicken strips.

* * *

Joe's was crowded. But granted, on a Saturday night, it should have been expected. They made their way to the bar and found Cristina and Alex arguing about something. "No," Cristina said loudly. "Not happening."

"What's not happening," Meredith interjected taking the open seat next to Alex.

"Alex thinks that Callie and Arizona are going to get back together but I'm not convinced."

"Okay, what's your evidence, Alex?" Meredith asked as Joe caught her eye.

"If it isn't Meredith Grey," Joe said doing a double take as he placed coasters in front of her and Anna. "And your sister?"

Anna laughed. "We're not sisters," Anna began, "Meredith's my mother."

Joe's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?"

"Meredith here was a teen mom, blah, blah, blah," Cristina cut in. "Mini-Mer found Mer at the hospital and now they are friends," Cristina blurted. "Any questions?"

Meredith chuckled. "It's true."

"Is this really surprising?" Alex quipped. "I mean Mer slept around," he looked at Anna. "No offense, kid."

"None taken," Anna said amused by this conversation. "I already knew that."

"How old are you?" Joe asked studying Anna. "You barely look legal."

"I just turned twenty-one last week," Anna informed him. "Want to see my ID?" she joked pulling her wallet out and handed Joe her license.

"Anna Howard," he read out loud, "Born on November 4, 1993." He handed her the ID back and shook his head. "Wow, I can't believe that."

"See, legal," Meredith pointed out with a grin. "I'll get my usual, Joe," she added pausing to look at the menu. "What about you Anna?"

"What are you getting?" Anna asked.

"Mer orders straight tequila," Cristina interjected. "But you should stick to the baby drinks, Meredith told me that you're a newbie."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Uh," she paused looking at the bar menu, "any suggestions?"

"I can make a good margarita," Joe offered.

"That sounds good," Anna said chewing her lip. "I'll try it."

"So much for a baby drink," Cristina muttered looking at Meredith.

"At least it's mixed," she whispered to Cristina as Joe put her shot in front of her. "We should order some appetizers," Meredith suggested looking at Anna. "Because trust me, tequila in any form is a beast."

"Mer's spent more time hungover than she'd care to admit," Alex smirked. "So I'd listen to her."

"Shut it, Alex," she narrowed her eyes at him. "At least I'm a reformed," she added.

"Mer's all mommy now," Cristina joked taking a sip of her drink. "I wouldn't mess with her."

"You know, you're all pretty normal for doctors," Anna quipped seriously.

"People tend to forget that we're like them too," Cristina said. "We still deal with the same things: friends, family, husbands, boyfriends... Just because we hold a scalpel and are responsible for saving their lives doesn't mean we're gods."

"Says the woman nominated for a Harper Avery," Alex chuckled. "You know, you should work that into your speech somehow, Yang."

"Wait, you're Doctor Yang?" Anna said in awe. "The one who printed a biosynthetic conduit?"

"I like her, Mer," Cristina said grinning.

"Meredith, you didn't tell me your friend Cristina is Cristina Yang," Anna said looking at her mother.

"Well, Cristina doesn't need a bigger head," she joked.

"I don't have a big head," Cristina admonished. "That award goes to your husband," she pointed out. "He's got a bigger ego."

"I won't argue with you there," Meredith said as she took a sip of her drink. "He's been on a high since the president called him for that brain mapping thing."

"I don't blame him," Alex cut in. "I mean if the President of the United States personally called me I'd be pretty stoked."

"The timing sucks though," Meredith added. "After Bailey was born, he promised me a year to get my career off the ground but now it's halted because he's reneging on his promise."

"Should've have it in writing, Mer," Cristina added.

"I know," Meredith sighed. "We've never been good with timing," she said taking a sip of her drink.

"Understatement of the century, Mer," Alex said seriously. "I'm pretty sure the only time you've been on the same page is when you were pregnant. Because before that it was like the Grey and Shepherd Show."

Meredith laughed. "How come we always end up talking about my life?"

"Because ours are boring," Cristina chuckled. "And yours has been a soap opera for years," she reminded her.

"I should write a book and cash in on it," Meredith joked.

"You could call it _Complications,"_ Alex quipped.

"The Meredith Grey Chronicles?" Cristina suggested.

"What about Grey's Anatomy?" Anna interjected.

"I'd definitely call my fictitious memoir, Grey's Anatomy," Meredith said taking a sip of her drink. "First of all, Complications sounds like a bad soap," she said looking at Alex. "The Meredith Grey Chronicles is just terrible," she turned to Cristina. "But Grey's Anatomy," she paused. "That could be a best seller."

Anna laughed. "I'm glad you think so, Meredith."


End file.
